A/N:

Hey everyone. :p I'm going to apologize in advance for taking so long, even though you guys are presumably okay with it. I was a bit busier and creatively blocked than I would have liked. So enjoy this fairly long, 3.5k+ chapter, and part 2/3 of the epic first climax. XD That's right, there's even more to come... I just couldn't wait longer and this is already long. Next part wraps it up though, so stay tuned. :D

Review time.

pokeking95: Yeah, I suppose I didn't do much to Usiku early on. Originally she was just a name, and then a minor character, so I didn't do much other than extrapolate on why I picked her name. So I don't think she really made an impact on anyone the first time around. Expect to see her more though... and Zira. You'll have to see where Zira comes in. :p Y sí, comenta como quieres. No me molesta - es buen practica. :D

Reldor: Yep, he's mad, alright. But Scar is a smart lion. Besides, I don't think Mufasa is the only one he should be worried about in the 'owning' department. lol

mom: Well, that was backstory about Mufasa to some extent... but Nyota actually slipped up with her words a bit. You'll see what I mean later. :3 And he will show up again eventually. No hyena would willingly miss out on free cake! (Or, in this case, mayhem! XD)

IronicSnap: Yep, the thickest part so far. :D And speaking of thick plots... I'm going to go read "secret tunnel, secret tunnel" now. :p Did you see my review? x.x I've only left one so far, but Christmas break is coming up so I'll be able to get to it soon. Yay for violence and stuff! XD

ForeverNocturnal: Hehe, thanks. Glad that surprised you. :p Hope you like this chapter too... XD I also apologize for the sheer quantity of cliifhangers. I simply have no other way of ending the chapter sometimes, at least in my opinion. xp

theAnGerFlarE: Thanks for that. :D I hope you keep reading - it's nice to see new people coming into this and reviewing. :p Enjoy.

TheTrueJuliet: To be honest, I was kind of scratching my head and wondering where you were because I've gotten so used to your reviews. XD lol Anyways, I saw Brother and read it this morning. :p It seems like it's off to a good start, so I hope you continue. Hehe. And I tried to put Scar kind of humorously in the background, so it's nice you noted that. XD Thanks for the encouragement and enjoy this chapter!

Now read, guys. :p Hope you love it.

Despair.

That was the first thing the lion felt as he backed into the rocky edge of the gorge, the rough surface pressing into him and reminding him that, indeed, there was no escape this time. The murky shadows covered him, the only visibility being the piercing eyes of his brother as they bore into him. He had dreaded this day, if he even thought that it would come at all. His hopes were that he would never again have to lay eyes on his elder sibling, yet they always seemed to cross paths at the most inconvenient of times. However, instead of his usual look of quiet, gentle concern, now Mufasa sported a look that was enough to make his blood curdle.

Overall, he was terrorized by his brother, who was so much larger and stronger—even now. All he could do was try his best to look unfazed, to try to gnash his teeth and hold in his anguish. The only thing that escaped was the crazed look in his eyes, and the pounding of his heartbeat as it resounded in his ears.

"Mufasa, please. You cannot do this…" he sent him a vaguely pleading look, backing up until he was parallel to the wall.

"I spared you once." He looked at him gruffly, taking a step closer with every step the younger brother took back. "Now tell me: why are you here, Scar? Do you not value your life enough to stay out of my lands?"

"Well, brother, you never officially exiled me, did you? I mean…" he laughed nervously, "please, I was just passing through. Surely you wouldn't kill me for that?"

Mufasa growled.

"You've no reason to be here."

"Yes, yes, Mufasa, you're absolutely right. You see, I was just walking along the gorge, towards the jungle. Just let me go—I'll leave, brother, and I won't be a burden. You'll never see hide nor hair of me again…"

At least for now…

Scar trailed off, teeth gritted in his attempt at a charming simper. Mufasa, unfortunately, was not amused. He moved closer, his provocation renewed as he closed the remainder of the distance between them. Whatever he'd said, it was the wrong thing… The smaller lion pressed himself into the wall and looked at his assailant with intensifying desperation.

"Not a burden?" Mufasa looked truly infuriated. "NOT A BURDEN?!"

He roared again, causing Scar to jump slightly, fur bristling and despaired countenance shocked into silence.

"How could you say that? You've already been a burden! You killed my son, wrecked my mate, split apart my family… you… you did all of this! All of this! It's all your fault!" He seethed for a moment, trying to compose his terrifying anger. "… And now you've returned. What more could you take from me, you filthy miscreant? Don't you feel any shame?"

"It's not what it looks like," he spoke barely above a whisper, trying to calm himself and Mufasa down. He hated feeling so weak, so subjugated… but it was all he could do. Indeed, now that he was close to his brother, he realized that he looked even more wretched than he had thought: while the eldest had maintained his powerful, looming figure even in the midst of his emotional turmoil, the younger lion had suffered in more physical terms. Ribs jutted out from the flesh on his sides, lean and muscled limbs were on their way to becoming weak and knobby… and his dirty, blood-encrusted fur looked as though some malicious being had intentionally pulled and knotted it wherever possible. Scar had no choice but to lower himself down further, trying to assume a submissive and non-threatening posture.

"Please, Mufasa. They'll kill me," he rasped. "Just let me go. I'm sorry."

"You'd better be," he growled, lifting up his paw with his claws unsheathed—something he rarely did. The older lion was seemingly ready to pin him to the rock. However, he suddenly stopped, remembering something.

"Who's going to kill you?" he asked, briefly planting his foot back on the ground. Whether he liked it or not, he was still Scar's family… and a small glint of protectiveness was piqued in him at the thought of someone or something else deigning to harm his little brother.

"I…" Scar looked up in fear, knowing he had slipped up. "… I cannot tell you, brother."

Mufasa's face hardened.

"I asked you once, and I'll ask you again…" he growled, "who?"

"Please, Mufasa. I beg you… on my knees. Just forget it, just let me g—"

"SILENCE!" he yelled harshly, voice raising profoundly as he stopped momentarily. "… Maybe I would if I believed you. But why I should is… is… wait a moment…" Mufasa spoke to himself as he lifted his head upwards, taking a long whiff of the still air. For a moment his face contorted, struggling to identify the faint and familiar tendrils of an odd yet familiar odor.

"Hyenas."

Scar stiffened, worried that they had caught up to him so fast—and, more relevantly, that his brother had learned of his deadly secret. Mufasa's face turned into one of unspeakable rage, even before Scar had had the chance to explain himself: indeed, Scar expected this. He expected all of this from his brother. For, in light of events long ago, there was nothing the hyenas were noted for other than their unspeakable crimes… And his brother surely held on to every bit of that.

"… You…" Mufasa leapt at his brother suddenly, pressing him ruthlessly and rather violently into the stone. His fangs shone in the night, inches from the younger lion's face, and his eyes burned with the embers of fiery passion.

"HOW COULD YOU? Associate with such a breed of filth—after what they did to our parents?"

"Parent."

"QUIET!"

Scar promptly ceased speaking out of fear, his body pressed up by the wall by those wicked claws… which were still sharp in spite of their obvious disuse as of late. Mufasa's paws dug into him, his rage scarcely bridled as one of his limbs found the other lion's throat and began to push fervently. A part of him simply wanted to throttle the life out of his brother, still thoroughly lathered with rage.

"How? Tell me! Tell me—I want to know, Scar!"

Scar was shaken roughly, his vision becoming bleary and fuzzy. His tongue lolled out, prompting thick rivulets of saliva to slick his coarse muzzle. He gasped quietly, trying to stifle his useless gagging and kicking. His jade eyes burned and glinted slightly in resentment and frustration, hoping that his brother would understand his cue. That he would, at the least, give him a chance to speak.

Moments passed, Mufasa still pressing him. Fine then. If he wouldn't let him answer, he wasn't going to bother. He noted that the older lion's breath was growing heavy, a grimace crossing his face while Scar stood quietly and tried not to submit to his bleary lightheadedness. He grew closer to succumbing, to slipping into the empty barrenness of unconsciousness… but he didn't show it.

As he faded away he focused less and less on the pain in his chest and his desire to leave, and more on the flickering disdain growing within him. All his doubts, all his second-thoughts… they were gone as he remembered just how Mufasa acted towards him. How he was always guilty until proven innocent. Indeed, a part of it felt abusive and perverse. They were uncomfortably pressed together, so close and intimate… yet, despite their blood ties and formerly tight bonds, it didn't reflect anything of that sort emotionally. Scar felt indignant, watching absently with watering eyes and fading vision as the soft paws of his brother—now tipped with daggered claws—closed in with increasing hostility.

He didn't feel guilty. After all, why should he have, when he was violated so profoundly?

Mufasa's grip loosened slightly, an odd yet severe twist coming to his face. He still looked angry—horribly so, in fact—though now he was only seething quietly. To the inexperienced eye, he almost looked placid and calm… but that could not be so. The younger lion knew his brother better than that. He simply didn't care anymore.

"Puh," he spat emphatically, briefly rubbing his forearm across his soaking chin before interjecting acerbically: "…Oh, Mufasa, you are always right, aren't you? I was a bit forward in my gratitude. Well now, have you finished subjugating me, Your Highness? Or would you rather try that again?"

Under normal circumstances he would have held his tongue a bit better and avoided such a overt condescension, but he saw that it was no use. Begging wasn't getting him anywhere; now his intent was to prod, to poke, to twist his arm and gleefully toy with him until he was practically forced to spare him… For the one main weakness of his brother was that he was an emotional creature—when others listened faithfully to their minds to make the right decision, Mufasa was almost excessively swayed by his primeval instincts, animalistic desires, and visceral inner feelings. The only real way to escape in a situation like this was to provoke him to his breaking point and instill him with guilty rue. Unfortunately, while it sounded feasible, such a plan was notoriously easy to backfire: it could just as easily go the other way and push him once again into his horrifying wrath, whereupon the provoked elder would beat him half to death if he saw fit.

"Silence, Scar." He commanded severely, almost defying him to disobey… which he did with a noticeable smirk.

"Ah, but aren't you forgetting something, Mufasa? I thought you preferred to scream at all your subjects to get them to listen to you. It's lovely, and it really gets your point across, I'd have you know."

"You dare to mock me?" Mufasa growled, detecting his insincerity. As if it wasn't bad enough, he drew closer, bared fangs now inches from Scar's vaguely taunting expression.

"Oh no, Mufasa. You're only mocking yourself." He smiled wryly, his words caustic and biting. "What a king you are."

Now that, by any definition, had crossed the line, and he knew it. Mufasa, offended, reacted even faster and with more magnitude than he expected. Without warning, he drew back a paw and let his angered self drive his claws across his brother's face. The younger lion couldn't help but let out a brief gasp of surprise, the force of the blow knocking him weakly to the ground. He instinctively rested a paw over the side of his face, where three open gashes ran the length of his cheek and terminated at his jaw line. He withdrew his appendage, unable to hide his concern as the shine of his hot, sticky blood glistened off of his paw. Trying to remain upright and unfazed, he gritted his teeth and again tried to rise… but Mufasa was looming over him, clearly intent on something else. Leaning forward, he gripped the dark lion's scruff in his wet mouth, ignoring his brother's resistance as he effortlessly pulled him upwards. Scar was pinned to the rock with a paw as Mufasa effortlessly and efficiently sunk his teeth into the nape of his neck, allowing the fangs to gently close around his prey's fragile, rigid vertebrae.

"Zazu once told me you'd make a nice rug," he grimaced around the lump of fur in his mouth, "… now give me one good reason why I shouldn't see for myself."

Scar hushed for a moment, pensive, as he was unable to retain his calm composure except through silence. Though he expected such behavior from his brother and was feeling oddly reckless, the frightened demeanor brought on by his inner sense of self-preservation was enough to make him wary. He knew that Mufasa was serious, and that he was also more than capable of snapping his neck.

An uneasy pause accented the tense mood in the air, whereupon the younger lion ceased to fight back and only dangled limply, refusing to speak. Mufasa pressed his jaw shut tighter, vainly trying to squeeze something out of him.

"Why are the hyenas here? Do you have something to do with this?" he growled, and—at the lion's silence—sharply bit into him, drawing blood and causing his hapless victim to cringe slightly in pain.

"I…" he stammered brusquely, finally incited into explaining through his gritted teeth, "I had a debt with them. Couldn't pay it. Now let me go... I swear on my life, Mufasa, they'll flay me if they catch me alive."

"Not if I do it first."

"Oh?"

"You heard me."

Mufasa finally tossed Scar roughly out of his jaws, letting him smash brutally against the cold surface of the wall. Despite his sure speech, he seemed somewhat diffident about what he should say or do next. The younger brother fell to the ground, out of breath, though scarcely a moment passed before he, in his defiance, was resiliently trying to find his footing and stand up to him again. He wouldn't be trampled and snuffed out like this. His twisted pride refused to submit to such an indignity.

"Looks like Muffy's mad… so tell me, brother, just how much do you like inflicting this pain upon me?" He couldn't help but grimace as a sudden sting of pain assaulted his abused shoulder, which had slammed into the ledge the hardest.

"I don't," he practically hissed, the difficulty with which he announced it showing through. "… But you deserve it for what you've done. You betrayed me… you betrayed all of us!"

"Oh, really? Fine, let's play that game, Muffy. Call me the traitor. But now you must ask yourself… why? Why has this all happened in the first place?"

"What do you mean? You took sides against our family! Do you even know how Sarabi has suffered—?"

"Not my fault." He interrupted phlegmatically. "If she wants to torment herself, then that is none of my doing." Scar stood silently on shaky legs, trying to hide in the darkness and prevent his battered self from collapsing in exhaustion.

"… You killed Simba…" he continued, ignoring his comment, "and you tried to kill me, your own brother!"

"But didn't you threaten to kill me just now as well? Wouldn't that make you guilty of the same crime?"

"I have no choice—you killed my son and I know you'd do just the same to me if you got half the chance." He responded frankly, looking down on him as he tried to beat him with his reasoning. Unfortunately, that was not his forte. He looked agitated, assailed by all of this at once. Oddly enough, Mufasa didn't appear to advance closer: the golden lion only stood distantly, teeth bared and brows furrowed tightly. He only looked downwards, and saw something there that caught his eye. Blood.

Something was wrong with his brother's paw. It was smattered with crimson, dirty and encrusted with the glimmering wetness. On the end was a stub, a remnant of something that once was… and suddenly he could piece it all together.

He truly had been in a pact with hyenas, and a serious one at that. Mufasa had seen it once before, and heard of it numerous times: the paw-chopping. Numerous stories and memories came in, of wild dogs limping away as packs of hyenas ruthlessly set in at their heels, of desperate animals betraying their families and kin with their mutilated paws, trying to do whatever necessary to settle the score. Indeed, the hyenas had always been of a rather… sordid… disposition. But this was bad. It was a mark, a symbol of one last, obvious mistake. It appeared to the condemned as one last chance to live, but it wasn't. It separated them, so the vengeful pack could track them down and slaughter them when the time came. No matter what he did, whether he pulled off his job or not, he was going to die… slowly and brutally. At least if the hyenas had their way. He must have slipped up badly, somehow gotten into deep trouble with them, for such a thing to have happened. And then he remembered… the meat. The rotting pile gathered on his doorstep before he'd run away. Mentions of a debt. How he'd attacked Nala in the pantry, given up in the river out of righteous fear of what would happen, how he'd been gone periodically before the stampede… he'd been with them all along.

His face fell. He'd planned everything, and now he was in dire straits, trying to wriggle his way out of a tight situation. But it wasn't going to work this time… at least while he was here. Scar had been found out, and Mufasa did nothing but stare at him in shame. There was nothing else even he could do at that moment. He gawked, his expression saddened and his countenance drooping.

"Father would be ashamed of you."

"… I know."

He heard a sigh, and he tried to look Scar in the eye. The eldest wanted to see whether or not his face held any regret, whether there was still any hope for him. But it was forever unclear. His face was forever masked by darkness, and there was nothing he could do to discern from it where the truth ended and where the lie began. Mufasa grimaced, and braced himself as he asked the question he meant to ask all along.

"Why? Why have you done this?"

Silence.

"Scar," his face darkened ominously. "Tell me. I want to know…"

"Well, I don't want to tell you," he countered in a voice that was surprisingly bland and bare, "besides, why should you care all of a sudden?"

"Because I thought I could trust you."

"I thought I could trust you," he retorted with more ferocity than he had displayed as of yet, fangs bared angrily and expression wrought. Mufasa wanted to contradict him, to tell him that was nonsense… but he couldn't. He knew what he was referring to, in a way, and it unknowingly struck a nerve in both of them. Scar withdrew, lips returning to cover his array of teeth, and irritably turned away.

"Get out of my way. I can't stay here…" he tried to push past him, unsure of what was happening. And then, in a whisper so low that his brother could barely hear, he uttered something unexpected. For even he, weary as he was, could not discern just how much of it was truth at all.

"…I just want to forget, Mufasa."

A part of him did want to forget. A part of him did want to withdraw from his past so that he would never have to face it again. But Mufasa put a paw out in front of him, restricting his exit.

"No…" the hints of a growl formed in his throat, yet Scar could also see an odd twinge on his face as he tried to form his words. "I let you go in the river. I let you have the easy way out once. But now you have to face the consequences of your actions. You deserve this, Scar. You deserve every bit of this. You must face your demons on your own."

Scar stopped, agitated. His fur bristled, face dropping. That was it: his luck had run out. There was no mercy, no pity this time. And in his final hour—for it surely was—he thought about his brother's reasoning. Maybe a part of him had brought this unnecessary pain on himself. Maybe a part of this was indeed his fault. But it didn't matter. Because overall, more than anything else, he still felt betrayed. Betrayed to such a degree that he could not describe. His own purposeless emotions were hurting him, and he hated that. It made him feel weak and helpless. He tried to hide it, but it only augmented the problem and made it sting more inside. Scar grimaced and regarded his brother with a callous, stoic eye, reminding himself of just how silly this all was… that he would ever consider telling him the truth. He could never show him his true feelings. Never, never again…

"Fine, then," he replied in the most stinging, biting tone he could possibly muster. "Go ahead with that, Mufasa. See if I care. Because I don't. You wouldn't know justice if it came and bit you on the nose."

He firmly stood his ground, eyes burning and teeth bared. It was a lie. It was all a lie. He did care about his life, and he was regarding the coming events with both apprehension and dread. But for his brother he only stood quietly, refusing to buckle or give in to his steadily increasing terror. It was his small way of rebelling before he was taken away, almost in the same way as Usiku had done. For, in some odd way, she was more right than she realized…

Mufasa regarded him from his high, regal pose, indignant. The younger lion refused to look him in the eye, trying to keep his focus away from his elder. Yet, in a moment, that would pose no problem. For a few seconds later, a harsh thud came and everything seemingly disappeared into silence. Scar looked up, unharmed, only to find that his brother was gone. He briefly considered taking advantage of the moment and running away before he stopped in his tracks, realization and a familiar odor both crossing his face.

"… It's him…"

I know, I know, I know... yes, it's another cliffhanger. It's the last big one for now, I promise promise promise. x) So this chapter was all the emotional stuff - next chapter is the physical fighting/violence/death part. Yeah, next one is going to presumably be fun for everyone, yay! XD

This and the next chapter mark a major point in this fic. I'd say I'm about a third of the way done, but you've all heard that spiel from me before so I suppose I'll shut up now.

I'm also considering going artsy and illustrating this fic, depending on feedback. So yeah, let me know. XD Samples will be up soon.

Vayan con Dios! :D

Twin (: